1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pickup apparatus that can reproduce data recorded on a medium such as a disc or record data on a medium such as a disc, and a disc apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 show one form of a conventional pickup apparatus.
An optical pickup apparatus 501 (FIG. 5, FIG. 6) is used to reduce and record data such as information on a medium (not shown). The medium includes optical discs, for example, CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) (not shown).
The optical pickup apparatus 501 is mounted on an optical disc apparatus (not shown) including a motor (not shown) that rotates an optical disc (not shown).
An objective lens 610 (FIG. 5) is disposed on a housing 601 constituting an optical pickup apparatus 501. The housing means, for example, a box-shaped object or a box-like object that houses apparatuses, components, etc. The housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is supported movable by a first shaft 810 and a second shaft 820. The shafts 810, 820 are attached to a chassis (not shown). The chassis means a platform to which components are attached.
The first shaft 810 is movably inserted through bearing portions 511, 512 disposed on the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501. The second shaft 820 is movably disposed in a bearing portion 593 disposed on the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501. In this way, the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is guided and supported movably by the shafts 810, 820.
The housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is moved along the direction to which the shafts 810, 820 are extended. As a result, the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is moved along the redial direction of the optical disc (not shown). The shafts 810, 820 are formed, for example, as guide shafts 810, 820 guiding and supporting the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501.
The chassis (not shown) is disposed with a feed motor (not shown) that can move the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501. A feed screw (not shown) is disposed on and extended from the feed motor (not shown). The feed screw (not shown) is disposed in substantially parallel to the shafts 810, 820. The feed screw (not shown) is disposed in parallel in the vicinity of the first shaft 810. The feed screw is disposed with a substantially spiral feed groove (not shown) that can move the housing 601. The feed screw is mounted on a support member (not shown) attached to the chassis. A transmitting member (not shown) in contact with the feed screw is mounted on the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501. The transmitting member (not shown) is disposed with an engaging portion (not shown) to be engaged with the feed groove of the feed screw (not shown).
By rotating the feed motor, the feed screw is rotated. This rotation presses and moves the engaging portion of the transmitting member engaged with the feed groove of the feed screw on the housing 601 side, and the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is moved along the direction to which the long shafts 810, 820 are extended. The housing 601 including the objective lens 610 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is moved to record/reproduce data on the optical disc.
When recording/reproducing data on the optical disc, laser light emitted from a light emitting device (not shown) in the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 passes through the objective lens 610 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 and is emitted to the outside of the optical pickup apparatus 501. The laser light condensed by the objective lens 610 is focused on a signal layer (not shown) of the optical disc.
Although other driving modes of the optical pickup apparatus (not shown) exist in addition to the driving mode moving the housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 with the use of the feed screw, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.
With regard to a conventional optical pickup apparatus, a lens driving apparatus and an optical pickup using the apparatus are known, which are small, less vibrated, and used in an optical recording/reproducing apparatus (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-344777, pages 1 and 3, FIGS. 1 to 7).
Recently, weight saving and miniaturization is required in the optical pickup apparatus 501 mounted on the optical disc apparatus by optical disc apparatus manufactures incorporating the optical pickup apparatus 501 into the optical disc apparatus and manufactures of computers including the optical pickup apparatuses 501. Therefore, an attempt has been considered to reduce the weight of the optical pickup apparatus 501 by changing from the metal housing 601 disposed with the various optical components 610 and the like to the resin housing 601. If the metal housing 601 is changed to the resin housing 601, the weight of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is reduced.
However, if he metal housing 601 is changed to the resin housing 601, lack of strength becomes problematic in the housing 601. For example, when the metal housing 601 is changed to the resin housing 601, the strength of the resin housing 601 may be deteriorated and the resin housing 601 may be cracked. Specifically, if the optical pickup apparatus 501 is dropped when the metal shafts 810, 820 are attached to the resin housing 601 and the resin housing 601 of the optical pickup apparatus 501 is affected by an impact, it is concerned that the bearing portions 501, 512 of the housing 601 locally contact the shaft 810 (FIG. 8, FIG. 9), resulting in a crack in the resin housing 601. The “crack” means a “break” or “breach”.
The optical disc apparatus manufactures incorporating the optical pickup apparatuses 501 into the optical disc apparatus and the manufacturers of computers including the optical pickup apparatuses 501 have requested provision of the optical pickup apparatus 501 that does not create problems even if the optical pickup apparatus 501 is subject to a certain level of vibration or impact when transported.